MIDDLESEX SOCIETY. 93 



tons of English and four tons of meadow hay the first year ; — 

 about 30 bushels of corn, 20 bushels of oats, and 50 bushels of 

 potatoes, was all the crop I raised. 



Since then, I have hired a man about seven months in the year, 

 with an occasional day's labor, and the rest of the work I have 

 done myself. There are, the present season, about 12 acres of 

 English mowing, about 9 of which have been brought to, since 

 I took the farm, on which I cut about 20 tons this year. I cut 

 about ten tons of meadow-hay, from the meadows which I have 

 ditched and reclaimed to English mowing. I raised this season 

 30 bushels of rye, 100 of corn, 20 of oats, 10 of buckwheat, 

 and about 100 of potatoes. 



Since 1839, I have relaid and piled up the stone into double 

 walls, about 200 rods, and in single walls I have reset as much 

 more. I have dug more than 100 rods of ditches, besides repair- 

 ing thoroughly my house and other buildings. As to fruit, the 

 apple trees on the place bore nothing but poor cider apples. I 

 have grafted the trees, but they were too far gone for the scions 

 to do well ; and I shall have to resort to setting out young trees. 

 As to stock, I have generally kept six cows, a pair of oxen, and a 

 horse, and have raised two hogs a year. I have bought no 

 manure, and have made all I have used, except about six tons 

 of plaster which I have spread. 



Carlisle, Oct., 1847. 



Reclaimed Meadows. 



Sherman Barrett's Statement. 



When I came in possession of the two acres of land you ex- 

 amined, it was entirely grown over with brush, alders, &c; 

 bordered on the side by a deep ditch. It remained in this un- 

 productive state till 1839, when I mowed and burnt it over. 

 The succeeding years, till 1843, I mowed the grass, which was 

 almost worthless ; there might be about 800 pounds per year. 

 In the spring of 1S43, I tried first to plough it, but could not 

 succeed ; I then employed Irishmen to dig up, and turn it over. 



